WEBSTER UNIVERSITY // 2018 NOTABENE

Connecting the World

Run Niu, PhD

Run Niu, PhD

Dr. Run Niu, Associate Professor of Business, has been teaching full time since 2008. Previously, she taught at the University of Alberta in Canada. Niu teaches operations management and statistics at the Walker School of Business & Technology. Currently, Niu is researching two streams of research, one in service operations and the application of social media to improve services. The other topic of Niu’s research is supply chain and quality assurance management in Chinese manufacturing companies.

These streams of research fall under the category of operations management and statistics. Statistics requires data analytics, and during Niu’s research she collects data and designs interviews in order to draw conclusions and prove findings. Quality management is a part of operations management, and Niu often travels to China to observe real businesses. As a result, Niu is able to bring real-world situations into the classroom. “It’s not just abstract concepts that we read about in textbooks,” says Nui. “This is what is really going on out there”.

Niu was granted a Faculty Research Grant from Webster University to study how companies in China manage supply chain risks. She will interview companies in China to see how daily operations and risks are managed.

Another specialty Niu brings to Webster University is her expertise in enterprise resource planning (ERP). SAP is a provider of ERP, and at the Walker School we offer two certifications for ERP through SAP to teach data analytics. In the industry, ERP certification through SAP is in high demand as SAP is one of the largest providers of ERP software. SAP only partners with select universities who are members of the SAP University Alliance. When students take three SAP related courses, they receive a certificate of recognition from Webster University and SAP.

“I can introduce what is going on out there to my students. It’s not just abstract concepts like in the textbooks, it’s something really going on out there.”
–Run Niu, PhD